Fridays Fitness Hike – Various locations in Park- ALL Fridays
Come to one or all of the Fitness Hiking Series, every Friday. We build up to a longer hike at the end of the month. Please wear sturdy shoes & bring plenty of water. This week, meet at 6am at Tom’s Thumb Trailhead (OUTSIDE of Park)- intersection of Dynamite and 128th St (drive South on 128th until you dead end into the parking lot). This is a moderate to DIFFICULT hike-- hikers should be experienced. Call the Park if you need additional directions.

January 17 Friday 9:00 am Friday Fitness Series #3
(moderate) Join us for this third of a series of Friday walks in January which will get progressively more difficult each week. This third walk will be on the Dragonfly/Spur Cross loop for a total of about 3.5 miles. Wear sturdy shoes and bring plenty of water.

This 1-mile hike is designed for parents and caregivers with small children, ages 3 – 6. Along with Miss Lynn, the kids will howl like coyotes, do the “bobcat crawl” and learn how to hydrate by counting gulps of water on their fingers. We will explore the desert along the scenic Merkle Trail. The hard-smooth surface of this trail will accommodate wheelchairs and strollers. Please bring water, hats, and closed-toe shoes. Location: Area 6.

Date: 1/17/2014

Time: 10:00 AM

Registration Required: No

Fee: $6.00 per car

Backyard Birding - Usery Park***CANCELLED***

Usery Mountain Regional Park

Do you drink coffee on your back porch Saturday mornings wondering about the names of the little birds flittering about? Bring your coffee to Usery Park and explore the endless possibilities of backyard birding with bird expert, Sandy Hornbaker. Learn how to attract different birds to your own backyard and what you must provide to your feathered friends. Ask Sandy what your responsibilities are as a backyard birdwatcher and what you can expect. Please bring binoculars and water. Location: Campsite 21 in the Buckhorn Campground.

Date: 1/17/2014

Time: 10:00 AM

Registration Required: No

Fee: $6.00 per car

Creepy Crawly Tarantulas - San Tan

San Tan Mountain Regional Park

You just encountered a big, creepy, fuzzy-looking spider and you let out a big SCREAM! The beady-eyed spider appears to be as big as a house as it slowly meanders across the desert trail. You think it is out to nibble on your fingers so your first thought is to…WAIT! Are tarantulas really out to get you? Are they as creepy as you think they are? And are these hairy arachnids dangerous? If you have questions about our desert spider, the tarantula, then this program is for you. Join Ranger Tish for this 1-hour program as we explore the mysterious lives of tarantulas. Meet inside the Nature Center.

Have you ever seen a snake eat its dinner? Join us at the Nature Center to watch park staff feed our resident creatures, including rattlesnakes, scorpions, a gila monster, and a tarantula.

Date: 1/17/2014

Time: 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Speaker: park staff

Registration Required: No

Fee: free

Contact: 623-935-2505

Location: White Tank Mountain Regional Park Nature Center

Address:20304 W. White Tank Mountain Rd.Waddell, AZ 85355

Picture Perfect - Cave Creek Regional Park

Cave Creek Regional Park

Did you get a new camera for Christmas? Got an old camera but need a few tips? Meet us in the Nature Center to learn some entry level photography tips for capturing wildlife and landscape images. We’ll also venture outdoors to apply what we’ve learned. Bring your camera and a smile! Contact Ranger Mark for more information at: markpaulat@mail.maricopa.gov Watch the park’s website for more information, updates or changes, prior to the event.

Why do saguaros grow arms? How old do they get? What are the unique strategies they use to survive and thrive in our desert? If you would like to know the answers to these questions, or any questions you may have about saguaros, then this one-hour presentation is for you! Bring your sandwich to the “Brown-Bag It” series inside our Nature Center as Ranger B shares his love for the “jolly green giant of the desert.” Location: Nature Center. Watch us feed our snakes after the program at 7pm. Then join our “Animal Flashlight Walk” at 7:30pm at no extra cost!

The Castle Creek Arm is perfect for a full moon paddle because it has fun coves and is in a no wake area for boaters. We will meet near the 4-lane boat launch, look on the shoreline for all the kayaks and signs leading you to the put-in area. Bring your water, light sticks, a flashlight, and you must WEAR YOUR LIFE VEST. Remember this time of year you can get chilled, so bring the proper warm clothes and an extra dry bag with more dry clothes. Have a jacket handy to put on when you get out of your kayak. We leave the shore at 6:00PM, so don't be late!

Address:Take Hwy 74 to Castle Hot Springs Rd., go 5 miles and turn right into the park to the 4-lane ramp.Peoria, AZ

1-mile Full Moon Walk -Estrella

Estrella Mountain Park

This easy one mile walk will get you outdoors to enjoy a beautiful moonlight walk. This is a great chance to challenge yourself to try something new. Meet at the Rainbow Trailhead.

Date: 1/17/2014

Time: 7:30 PMDuration: up to one hour

Speaker: Ranger Amy

Registration Required: No

Fee: $6 vehicle entry fee or annual pass

Contact: amyroberts@mail.maricopa.gov

Location: Estrella Mountain Regional Park

Address:14805 W. Vineyard AveGoodyear, AZ 85338

Animal Flashlight Walk - Usery Park

Usery Mountain Regional Park

We are the nocturnal animals of the desert and we like to hide. Help Ranger B find us if you can! If you would like to learn about us and enjoy a night walk in the desert, then join Ranger B as he takes you on this exciting 1-mile/1-hour walk along the Merkle Trail. The Merkle Trail offers universal access and the hard-smooth surface of this trail will accommodate wheelchairs and strollers. Please bring water, a flashlight, and closed-toe shoes. No pets, please. Location: Area 6. Join our “All About Saguaros” program inside our Nature Center at 6pm, and our snake feeding at 7pm at no extra cost!

Date: 1/17/2014

Time: 7:30 PM

Registration Required: No

Fee: $6.00 per car

Family Moonlight Hike - White Tank Mtn.

White Tank Mountains Regional Park

Experience White Tank in a different light - moonlight! Load up the kids and join Ranger Jessica on this 2 mile hike to watch the moon rise ande xperience the desert at night. Bring a flashlight, your scorpion light, and wear comfortable footwear. No dogs, please. Please meet at Area 4.

Date: 1/17/2014

Time: 7:30 PMDuration: 2 hours

Speaker: Ranger Jessica

Registration Required: No

Fee: $6/vehicle park entry fee

Contact: 623-935-2505

Location: White Tank Mountain Regional Park

Address:20304 W. White Tank Mountain Rd.Waddell, AZ 85355

Full Moon Hike - San Tan

San Tan Mountain Regional Park

Discover the beauty of the Sonoran Desert at night, as we hike under the light from the full moon. Join us for a pristine 2.2-mile stroll along the Stargazer Trail. Listen for the sounds of wildlife and explore the night-life atmosphere. The pace of the hike will be relatively mild or slow to help enjoy the surroundings. Flashlights are welcomed. Join Ranger Tish under the Flag Pole before our adventure begins.

January's Full Moon is named after the time of year when wolves would 'howl hungrily' in the throes of midwinter snows. There are no wolves in the Phoenix area, and most likely we won't see any snow... but we'll learn about the reintroduced Mexican gray wolf population in Northern Arizona as we hike along the Pemberton Trail to the Pemberton Pond on this (almost full) moonlit hike. If we're lucky, we'll hear the happy (not hungry) howls of our healthy McDowell coyote population, along the trail. Meet at the Trailhead Staging Area. Hike is approximately 3 miles and 2 hours. Flashlights are permitted, but not necessary. No pets please. Hiking time is 2 hours, 3 miles